The main Magali Deleu’s research interest is to explore the molecular mechanisms involved in the perception of structurally different amphiphilic molecules by biological membranes.

The objectives are (i) to establish structure/function relationships with regard to some agronomical applications like eliciting and allelopathic activities and to human health like antibacterial effect, and (ii) to characterize at the molecular level the interaction between the amphiphilic molecules with specific lipids or lipid domains present in plant membranes or bacterial membranes. Different biophysical techniques (Langmuir trough, isothermal titration calorimetry, IR and fluorescence spectroscopy, …) on liposomes, on supported lipid bilayers or on lipid monolayers are used, as well as complementary in silico approaches predicting the molecular features important for optimal lipid/ amphiphile interactions.
A strong network of national and international collaborations with biologists, plant physiologists and analytical chemists has been developed in this context.